Huizen

Huizen
—  Municipality  —
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 52.30°N 5.23°E / 52.30; 5.23
Country	Netherlands
Province	North Holland
Area(2006)
• Total	23.28 km2 (8.99 sq mi)
• Land	15.77 km2 (6.09 sq mi)
• Water	7.51 km2 (2.90 sq mi)
Population (2 May 2011)
• Total	41,726
• Density	2,646/km2 (6,850/sq mi)
	Source: CBS, [1].
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Website	www.huizen.nl

Huizen ([ˈɦœy̆zə(n)] ( listen)) is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland.

The name "Huizen" is Dutch for "houses" and this usage has been linked to the belief that the first stone houses in the region appeared here.

History

Huizen originally was a coastal village, with a thriving fishing industry. After the damming of the Zuider Zee by the Afsluitdijk in 1932, the old sea was degraded to a mere freshwater lake, and economical activities shifted towards industry and commerce.

In the 1960s the town was designated to build substantially large residential areas, to overcome the housing shortage in the region. From then on, the town took on an influx of people and grew rapidly.

Where the Phohi-flat now stands in Huizen was, before World War II, the site of a large transmitter intended for contacting the Dutch East Indies, some 12.000 km away.

Local government

The municipal council of Huizen consists of 27 seats, which are divided as follows:

• VVD - 7 seats
• CDA - 4 seats
• PvdA - 3 seats
• D66 - 3 seats
• GroenLinks - 3 seats
• ChristenUnie - 2 seats
• Dorpsbelangen Huizen- 2 seat
• Leefbaar Huizen - 2 seats
• SGP - 1 seat

Transport

With its population of almost 42,000, Huizen is one of the larger towns without railway connection. On a national level, it's preceded by Drachten and Oosterhout.

References

• Statistics are taken from the SDU Staatscourant

External links

• A map of Huizen